Resting in a Mountain Meadow

Obviously highly manipulated including; selective desaturation to

emphasize subjects, burned areas to try my hand at a high contrast

technique, hand painted flowers and a new frame technique. Playing

and learning. Thoughts, comments, reactions?

Gary, I have to admit that I really like this photo and what you've done. I'm really close to saying a 6/6 but... I would like to have more contrast, not much but the trees, hill and clouds need a little more definition. Secondly, the inner yellow noise border is an absolute NO.

Again, for me, this is a really nice photo and your girls are coming out of the photo, it's like looking at them through a window. I think your PS skills are beginning to express your minds eye, your getting there Gary.

Me and my distracting frames! I'm like a young man on his wedding night; I just can't seem to stop.

Gary - don't worry, I've gone through the same phase. At one point, I enjoyed doing mattes and frames more than taking photos. Few appreciated what I thought were terrific borders. I was hoping to get comments on the borders and forget the photo. I must admit, there are some PN folks that also get carried away with matting but they have networked enough and have such an attractive bio that it's not a negative for them. As you well know, photo net is not just about photos.

So here's the deal, your inner border is chaos, the girls are going into a meditative trance of relaxation. What type of border would complement that feeling?

Hi Dave, I really didn't think about it like that. Perhaps a nice soft shadow would be more conducive to the mood of rest. To be honest, I didn't really think about it like that; I was simply trying out a new technique (using a layer with a splayed brush stroke as a border) so I grabbed a color (just about the only color in the photo) and started playing. I do see your point however. By the way, I'm glad that you posted a couple of shots of you and your wife; it's always nice to see what someone looks like when you communicate. I know she must be an outdoor enthusiasts and I hope she continues to recover quickly.